Freret Street restaurant will open a new steakhouse just across the street

The newly installed wood paneling along the shuttered Freret Street restaurant’s windows was one clue of what’s cooking inside. It matches the design of Pigeon and Whale, located right across the street, and it turns out that’s no coincidence.

The new restaurant taking shape at 4510 Freret St. will be a sibling to Pigeon and Whale (4525 Freret St., 504-249-5487), with the same team developing it, from owners to chef. But while Pigeon and Whale is an upscale seafood restaurant, this new one will be much more about meat, especially steak.

The new restaurant is called the Husky and it is on track to open in the fall, possibly as soon as October.

It will bring another upscale option to Freret Street’s restaurant row, where apart from Pigeon and Whale itself and the cocktail lounge Cure the offerings are casual.

The new restaurant is led by John Michael Rowland, who is managing partner of both Pigeon and Whale and Station 6 in Bucktown.

Rowland describes the Husky as an upscale neighborhood steakhouse, though not a traditional steakhouse (the classic model for that is nearby anyway, at Charlie’s Steak House, which is co-owned by one of his partners in the business, the chef Aaron Burgau).

At the Husky, the menu will have pastas, a burger and different cuts of meat beyond steaks, including game, and it will have a sideline in seafood.

Jeremy Latimer, chef at Pigeon and Whale and the related Station 6, will oversee the kitchen at the Husky too.

Winnie Rubin created the playful and eye-catching desserts at Pigeon and Whale (like that miniature clawfoot tub filled with chocolate mousse and cream “bubbles”). She’ll also handle desserts at the Husky.

Pigeon and Whale is based more on seafood from the East Coast than the Gulf Coast, with cold water oysters at the raw bar and a lobster roll on the menu. It’s also known for its intricate nautical themed design.

The Husky also is going big on design, though in this case it will channel the feel of a mountain lodge. The interior is being transformed with elaborate woodwork and stonework, including starburst shaped lighting fixtures against the wood paneled ceiling and parquet flooring.

“Like we did at Pigeon and Whale, we want you to walk through the doors and feel like you’ve entered a different space,” Rowland said.

It’s a large space that was previously home to the restaurants Acropolis on Freret and Wayfare before that, and had at one point been the Freret Street Boxing Gym (which is now in Central City).

As the Husky, it will have seating for about 100 people, divided into two rooms. The dining room side will have deep booths and banquette seating. The bar will have seats for 17 people and a lounge area of sofas and such, and Rowland’s goal is to make the bar a destination in its own right from drinks in the neighborhood.

The Husky

4510 Freret St., projected opening fall 2024

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